· CLOSELY-HELD BUSINESS · PRIVATE COMPANY · OWNER ADVISORY
Integrated Advice for Owners Whose Business and Personal Finances Are Connected
Closely-held business owners don't have the option of separating personal and business financial decisions. Compensation, distributions, retirement, taxes, and estate planning all connect directly to the business. Archer Lewis advises on all of it, together.
Our Approach
Integrated advice for owners whose business and personal finances are connected.
For the owner of a private business, nearly every major financial decision touches both sides of the ledger. How you pay yourself affects your personal tax rate and retirement options. How you structure the business affects your estate plan. When you sell affects both. Archer Lewis works with closely-held business owners as a single, integrated relationship, so advice on one side of the equation always accounts for its effect on the other.
What's Included
Advisory services built for closely-held business owners
-
Owner Compensation Planning
Salary vs. distributions, S-corp optimization, and compensation structures that minimize your combined business and personal tax burden.
-
Entity Structure Review
Is your current entity structure still the right one for where your business is today? We review and recommend when a change would produce better outcomes.
-
Retirement Planning for Business Owners
Solo 401(k), SEP-IRA, defined benefit plans: the options available to business owners are significantly more powerful than those available to employees. We make sure you're using them.
-
Business & Personal Tax Integration
Business and personal returns planned and prepared together, so decisions on one side account for their impact on the other.
-
Buy-Sell & Partnership Agreements
Financial review of ownership agreements to ensure they reflect current value and protect your interests as an owner.
-
Key Person Risk Planning
What happens to the business and your family if something happens to you? We plan for it before it becomes urgent.
-
Exit & Succession Planning
How you eventually leave the business is the most important financial decision most owners make. We start planning it early.
-
Estate Planning Integration
Your business interest is likely your largest asset. Estate planning has to account for it, and vice versa.
You built something valuable. Your financial advice should reflect that.
Closely-held business owners benefit most from advisors who treat business and personal finances as connected, not separate. Archer Lewis works at that intersection, where the most consequential decisions are made.
Talk to a Private Client Advisor
Common Questions
What closely-held business owners ask us.
For S-corp owners, the balance between salary and distributions has significant tax implications: too little salary creates IRS risk, too much leaves money on the table. For other entity types, the optimal compensation structure depends on your profit level, retirement goals, and personal tax situation. We model the options and recommend the structure that minimizes your total tax burden.
Entity structure decisions (LLC, S-corp, C-corp) have long-term tax and legal implications. The right structure when you started your business may not be the right structure today. We review your current structure against your current situation and recommend a change when the numbers support it.
Significantly more powerful ones than most employees. A solo 401(k), SEP-IRA, or defined benefit plan can allow contributions far exceeding what's available through a standard employer plan. For profitable businesses, maximizing retirement contributions is one of the most effective tax reduction strategies available.
